How We Began

by Sandra Corton

  "Geez, you won't survive five minutes." Kayla teased her, only to see her friend turn serious.

  "You are okay, right?" She asked, as she looked her friend over in the bed carefully.

  "I'm fine. Mum's just a bit freaked out by the whole my daughter's been kidnapped thing. That's why I'm still here." Kayla gestured at the hospital decor.

  "Okay, so I would have been here last night, sorry that I wasn't by the way. My idiot brother had some mentally brilliant idea that everything was his fault, and that he was a bad boyfriend," Hayley rolled her eyes. "I spent my night trying to get his butt back in here to talk to you."

  "Thanks, Hayley. Don't worry I was coming over to tell him how stupid he was being anyhow. I think leaving your girlfriend alone in a hospital bed is worse than saving her from being kidnapped." Kayla returned the eye roll, knowing that Isaac was in the hallway.

  "Get in here, Isaac, or I swear I really will start kicking butt." Hayley raised her voice, only to have a passing nurse shush her.

  Seeing Isaac peer sheepishly into the doorway helped Kayla to relax. He looked perfectly fine, as handsome as always, seeming as tired as she felt. She wasn't quite ready to forgive him, yet. She crossed her arms over her chest, and sent him a stern look. He glanced to the ground, and just stood there without doing or saying anything.

  "Get in here," Kayla repeated Hayley's words, before pointing next to her bed. She was sure that she saw a glimmer of a smile appear on his face, just to disappear as quickly.

  "God, you're bossy," He said softly.

  "And you're about to know how bossy I can get. Walk your cute butt over to this bed!" She demanded, and his smile appeared again, as he glanced up and noticed her blush.

  "Alright, I'm going to leave you both alone now, Mum said she'd pick me up. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.” Hayley winked at the pair of them. She hugged her friend, and walked out of the room.

  Silence echoed between them, and Kayla had no idea how to begin. Isaac shuffled his feet, and stayed on the opposite side of the room. He avoided looking anywhere near her, instead keeping his eyes focused out the window to the blank building wall outside. She let out a grunt of annoyance, which caught his attention.

  "I'm going to start from the beginning, and you are going to answer my questions," Kayla finally said into the stale air between them. "You left me here alone, Isaac. Why would you do that?"

  "Uh, I don't know," he scratched the back of his neck, and peered even more intently out of the window.

  "Look, I get that you've never been in a proper relationship before, but what you're doing right now is nuts. Now answer my question! Why did you leave me here without telling me that you were fine? I was worried about you until a nurse told me that they had discharged you. My Mum even told you what room I was in! Where were you, Isaac?" Her voice raised in fury, and she didn't even care about the fact that she was in a hospital.

  "This only happened because of me." He finally told her, and she snorted.

  "Oh, so because it's somehow your fault, it's time to run away is it? Listen to me, Isaac. You were the one that started this whole thing of wanting a relationship, and now you're stuck with me. Stop trying to back out of something that you thought was a good idea yesterday, because of somebody else's choices. You are not to blame over what happened with Steve. You are to blame for leaving me alone last night, without knowing that you were alright." She softened her voice at the end, and Isaac finally looked at her.

  "Hayley's right, I really have been a monumental arse." Isaac told her with a shake of his head.

  "This may surprise you, but Hayley is often more right than not." Kayla informed him. "Now, you have a choice to make. Either you get over here and hug me, while telling me that everything is fine, or you walk out of that door, which will mean we're officially over." Kayla pointed to the bed, and then the door, before letting her arm drop back onto the bed.

  "Have I told you that I really like your bossiness?" He sent her that glimmer of a smile again, as he fully stepped into the room.

  "Numerous times." She said, as she patted the edge of the bed.

  He took another cautious step into the room. He seemed so uncertain, which she had never seen in him until recently. She sent him an encouraging smile, and he let out a breath, as he slowly continued moving into the room.

  "Well it's true..." He trailed off, as he paused halfway to her bed. "That whole thing could have been prevented. If I had just told Mum and Dad last weekend, instead of coming up with that silly scheme..."

  "Stop it with the 'what if' stuff. What happened has happened. We can't change it, or do anything different. What you can change is right now, this minute." She reached a hand out to him.

  "I thought your Dad was going to kill Steve." Isaac told her, as he took yet another step towards her.

  "Me too. He is really overprotective of me, just in case you hadn't noticed." Kayla said dryly.

  "Don't worry, that was duly noted the first time I met him." Isaac replied, before going quiet. "I got really... I don't know what happened last night, but I just got it into my head that you would be better off without me. I'm sorry." He finished, while glancing down at the ground again, and Kayla closed her eyes for a moment, as she wondered what to say to him again.

  "Maybe next time, when you get such a silly notion in your head, you come and speak to me about it first." She wiggled her fingers at him in encouragement, and he gulped, but moved hesitantly closer to her.

  "But what if I'm not the best guy for you?" He clenched his fists at his side, and stopped moving.

  "What if you are? In case you forgot, I told you that I loved you." A blush filled her face, but she kept her eyes determinedly on him.

  "I know. I just feel like I don't deserve you." His eyes went to the ceiling, as her eyes narrowed at his crazy words.

  "You get over here and kiss me now, or I swear I'm yelling for my Mum to kick your stupid, thick headed, numbskull person out of here!" Kayla raised her voice again, and Isaac jerked his eyes to hers. "Oh, I mean it. I've had enough of your little pity party. Are your my boyfriend or not?" She clicked her fingers at him impatiently, as her fury kept building.

  "I guess I'm your boyfriend."

  "Did your seriously just tell me that you guess you're my boyfriend? Are you trying to make me angrier at you than I already am?" Kayla's frustration resounded in her voice.

  "That's enough, you two. I'm discharging you now," Kylie pointed in the door at her daughter, before letting out a huff of breath. "Will you take her straight home, Isaac? Otherwise, I'll call Ted."

  "Sure, I'll take Kayla home." His voice cracked, as he contemplated being in a car with a raging, angry Kayla.

  "Good. Get changed, Kayla. Dad brought you in some spare clothes last night." Kylie pointed to the bag beneath her bed.

  Without another word, Kayla grabbed the bag and stormed into the bathroom. Isaac just stood there wondering why he kept saying the wrong thing. Sure, it wasn't every day that a predicament like yesterday happened, but he just couldn't seem to get his head around the fact that she still wanted him after that.

  The guilt lay as a heavy burden on his chest. If he had never known her, she would have been safe. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, as he finally realised that he was the only one not coping with things very well.

  The car drive began with the same silence, as the hospital visit had. This time Kayla didn't seem to be willing to fill in that deafening quiet. Hadn't she just given him chance after chance to make things better at the hospital? He had shot her down every time, making her more furious than last night when he had left her alone.

  "I'm sorry, Kayla. I just don't know what to say to make things better," Isaac said vaguely, as he waved a hand in the air.

  "You know what? Smarmy Isaac hasn't helped you out in any way over the years. The answer is so damn simple, but you're either too blind or scared to see it. Don't... just... you know what, let me out here." Kayla pointed abruptly to the fron
t of her house.

  He pulled over, and watched her march angrily into her house. The words she said played constantly in his mind, as he continued to sit in his car out the front of her house. There was no simple answer, not from where he stood. Everything wanted to be impossible and immensely difficult. How did he keep ruining things with her so easily?

  He drove home and threw himself onto his bed. He tried to contemplate what Kayla expected of him. He was sure that he had no idea what it was. Nothing was ever that simple when it came to dealing with girls. Kayla was turning into the most confusing one of them all.

  "I should throttle the freaking life out of you Isaac!" Hayley screamed, as she slammed his bedroom door open.

  "Oh, do come in, Hayles," he told her dryly.

  "I know that you've never actually said it with meaning before Isaac, but telling a girl you love her shouldn't be that damn hard," Hayley stamped across the room to yell the words in his face.

  "What?"

  "Seriously, all you can say is what? She just went through a traumatic experience, and you couldn't even tell her something so simple, let alone give the poor girl a hug. I know you love her, so why won't you tell her?" Hayley shook his shoulders and he finally realised what Kayla had meant.

  Of course, it was as simple as she said, and of course, he loved her. He knew he had made a promise to himself yesterday to tell her, but that was before the guilt burdened him with its presence. He realised that his first step into her hospital room should have been when he was shouting his declaration at her.

  Instead, he'd acted like a bumbling fool. He hadn't hugged her even though he wanted to; he hasn't kissed her, because he had thought that she wouldn't want him too. Kayla had been right. He had been having a pity party, and not seeing what was right there in front of his face.

  "Because I'm stupid." Isaac finally admitted, and his sister grinned broadly.

  "Yep! Could you please go and sort this out for real?" Hayley asked hopefully, and he nodded.

  Driving back to her house made him a bundle of nerves. He was as scared to face Ted, as he was Kayla. When he anxiously rang the doorbell, he was surprised that Ted grinned at him. It seemed he'd won her Dad over without even trying.

  "We are all fools with love, and us men, well we are the slowest at seeing what is right in front of our faces. She's in her room. Leave the door open, and I have no problem with you being in there. Shut that door even once, and your arse is mine." Ted sent the threat out in a calm voice, making Isaac gulp, knowing that he meant his threat seriously.

  He nodded, as Ted stepped back from the door and ushered him in. Isaac made his way to Kayla's room, as he thought about what he was going to say. He knocked on her door and there was no reply. He knocked again, and reached for the door handle when once again there was no response.

  He opened it cautiously and peered around the room. She sat against the window staring out with her headphones on. In her lap sat a book that she didn't even seem to notice. Her soft lips formed the words to the song that she was listening to, and she had never looked more beautiful to him than in that poignant moment.

  He paused in the doorway, making certain that he left the door open. He took a deep breath, and tried to calm down his thundering pulse. He was so damn nervous now that he was here. Knowing that he had to say those words to her was one thing, but actually spitting them out seemed almost impossible. This was turning out to be harder than he expected.

  "Kayla?" He called out her name, as he crept closer to her.

  He knew that she didn't hear him when he was able to hear the music coming from her headphones. He stepped closer, and felt as if he was back in that hospital room doing the same thing as this morning. With a fierce intake of breath, he kept moving into her room, until he was directly across from her.

  She physically shifted away, startled as his shadow moved across her vision. She turned to him with wide eyes, and it was hard for him to take a breath in. He had made her cry again. Another tear slipped down her cheek, and he felt like the biggest heel in the world.

  He dropped down to her level, and wiped the tear away. He gently removed her headphones and clasped her hands tightly in his. She didn't move, let alone breath, as his eyes captured hers.

  "I, um, I realised I loved you yesterday when they were taking you away in the ambulance. Stupid time to realise, right? That was, uh, followed pretty quickly by all those thoughts that I threw at you this morning," he told her honestly. She went to say something, but he simply placed a finger on her now smiling lips. "I told myself that I would say I love you so much that you'd get bored of hearing it."

  "That's not going to happen," she reassured him.

  "I'm sorry that I let all those awful thoughts take over. This is a first for me, and I managed to blow it pretty badly. Can you forgive me, because I'm pretty sure that I really do love you?" He insisted, and another tear fell from her eye.

  "Yes, now get over here and kiss me like I wanted you to this morning." She demanded and he grinned feeling a sense of relief and love that he never had before.

  "So damn bossy." He said in the moment before his lips captured hers.

  Feelings swelled between them, as Isaac pulled her closer to him. This was what felt right. Both of them together and knowing that they loved each other.

  Chapter 26 - Home truths

  Kayla found it funny that Monday's seemed to be a cause of concern for her now. It was as though her life had become nothing, but drama filled of a weekend, which led to the inevitable dread when heading back to school.

  She waited for Isaac to pick her up, as he had promised yesterday. After his declaration on Saturday, they ended up spending all of Sunday together at his house. Once Hayley and Jay joined in it became almost a party. Eventually, Dana had got sick of their rough housing and kicked them out of the house. It had been a great day for all of them.

  Now, as she smoothed down the skirt of her uniform, yesterday didn’t seem to exist. She tried not to twitch and fiddle as the anxiety took hold, but was unable to stop herself. She had no idea what awaited her at school today, and she had worried herself sick about it for most of last night.

  "Muffin, before you go, I thought that I had better warn you." Ted called out, which only made Kayla feel more nervous.

  "What's up, Dad?" She asked, as she turned to him.

  "I just received a phone call from the school." His reply sent a shot of dread to rush down her spine.

  "About what?"

  "They are holding an assembly today." Ted looked at her pointedly, making Kayla frown.

  "That's not unusual."

  "It's about what happened Friday night." He told her gently, but she still flinched.

  "Ugh, well that should be fun." She crossed her arms over her chest feeling exposed.

  "They said that we were invited to attend, but I refused. I told them if they mention your name or Isaac's for that matter, then they would have to deal with me." Ted's face was stern, and for once Kayla breathed in relief at her father's overprotectiveness.

  "Thanks, Dad." She told him as she gave him a hug.

  "No problem, Muffin. Oh, and Mitch said he'd be here this afternoon. He apparently lost his phone on Friday, and didn’t get any of our calls," he let out a grumble, and Kayla nodded "That should be your ride." Ted grinned, as he pointed out the window.

  "See you later." She grabbed her bag, and went out the door with a wave.

  Seeing Hayley madly waving from the backseat made her smile. Glancing at Isaac had a completely different reaction. Her nerves about school eased, as her heart beat faster at seeing his wonderful grin and the cheeky look in his eyes.

  "Hey, Hayley," she said, as she tossed her bag into the back of the car.

  "What no greeting for me?" Isaac pouted, making her laugh at how adorable he could be. She opened the front door and slid into the seat.

  "Good morning, Isaac," She met his eyes with a flirty look, before leaning across the console and kissing him
quickly. "Better, but still not quite perfect." Isaac informed her, as he tapped his lips. She just rolled her eyes and pushed against his shoulder.

  "It will do for now," she said, as Hayley made a gagging motion from the backseat. "Did you know we're going to assembly about… you know," she asked them more seriously.

  "I kind of guessed." Hayley said quietly.

  "But it's not like it happened in school hours." Kayla argued.

  "It happened on school property, while a school run event was on. They would have to say something." Isaac added in, and Kayla closed her eyes.

  "Dad told them that if they mentioned either of our names, then he would go and deal with them." Kayla passed on the information, and was surprised when Isaac grinned.

  "Your Dad is as awesome as he is freaking scary." Isaac told her, as he drove.

  "Yeah, that's true." Kayla agreed, as her nerves increased with every inch that they got closer to school.

  Entering the schools parking area seemed to set everyone there into huddled whispers. Kayla could only wonder if they actually knew what had gone on Friday night during the game. She knew that gossip would be rife, and mostly about her.

  How had she ever become the girl that everybody talked about? Kayla had always been simply a studious person that nobody knew, or saw only as Hat Girl. That had all changed with Isaac, of course. The moment he began paying her attention was the very moment her life became crazy. She had to blame herself for coming up with the idea for the kissing booth in the beginning.

  Asking herself seriously, whether she would change any of that, made her glance at Isaac. His brown hair flew back in the breeze from the open window, and he sent an easy smile her way.

  As usual, her skin tangled, and the butterflies in her chest reminded her of their presence. She knew the answer; she wouldn't change a single second of her time since the kissing booth. With that thought in mind, she could breathe a little easier, and take on another school day.

  Whispers, stern and serious seemed to follow her around all morning. Everyone acted the same towards, except for treating her more carefully than last week. She kept feeling the eyes watching her every move, which was unsettling. She straightened her back, and faced the day determinedly, trying not to let anyone phase her.